Snap switch



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Patented Apr. l5, 1947 UNITED STATES l bifurcated armvery tightly, so that when the circuit is on and it is desired to turn it oil, it is difficult to remove the arm from the spring contact members with any great speed, since a poten- 3 Claims. (Cl. Zilli-S7) tial energy built up by the togglevspring causes a. slippage of the bifurcated armbetween the contacts before the toggle spring is on dead center. When the bifurcated arm slips partially away from the contact members, particularly when a heavy load of current is carried, there will be considerable sparking between the arm and the contact members. This sparking will of course eventually burn out the switch and make it absolutely worthless.

The present invention obviates'the above diffiv culties, by eliminating the closing of the contacts by the bifurcated arm.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide all the advantages of the toggle switch, such as the bifurcated arm and the use of the dead center spring action, in conjunction with a movable contact arm.

According to another object the toggle is not to be part of any circuit and is, asa matter of fact, normally not in any contact with the circuit making and breaking device.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a means in conjunction with a toggle mechanism, for a positive action in opening and closing the contactsin an exceedingly abrupt and instantaneous manner, at the moment when the toggle reaches its maximum dynamic momentum.

Indeed the current is to be'broken by knocking `the parts out of contact, by a sharp blow.

Other objects and advantages of the present in y vention, will be obvious as brought out in the following specication and drawings which illustrate the invention, but are not to be interpretedin limitation thereof.

In those accompanying drawings similar ref- A- Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a right hand end view of Fig. 1.

The drawings show, by way of illustration only,v

a fragmentary, insulated switch box Il). It contains a toggle switch mechanism and the usual bifurcated arm i I is pivoted at I2 and I3 in bearing plates Iii and I5. A toggle spring I6 under compression engages at one end over a protuberance I1 at the yoke I8 of the arm I I and is threaded through an eye I9 at its other end.

The eye I9 is one end of a bell crank lever 20, which is pivoted at 2| on a pin 22 mountedin the bearings i4 and I5. The other end of lever 2li carries a nger push button 23 which actuates the bifurcated arm by way of the toggle spring I6. 'A contact arm 23 rides on a1 pin 21 which'is pivoted in a'pair of opposed bearings '24 and 25 and which carries a small coil spring 28. I

The contact arm terminates in a contact bridge plate 29, which is integral with a short arm 30. The arm 3|) is xedly connected to but insulated from another angular arm 3| by a bolt and nut 33 and 34, and a plurality of insulated spacer discs 32 and an insulated bushing 35, respectively. The arm 3| has a pair of integral ears 36 which are journalled on the pin 21 in order to support the arms 30 and 3|. The arm 3| is bent at an acute angle and terminates in a leg 31 the purpose of which will be hereinafter described.

As shown in Fig. 4 the contact bridge plate 29 serves to connect electrically the two terminals 38 and 39. These are at right angles to the switch arm 26 and are insulated by bushings 40. Bridge plate 29 carries the current from one terminal to another without passing through any part of 'the bifurcated arm or the toggle spring I6. The shanks 4| of the terminals 38 and 39 terminate in threaded binding posts 42' which support the ends of the wires 43 and 44 between which contact is to be made and broken, those wires forming part, for instance, of the circuit fed by a source of supply 45. The wires 43 and 44 are xed to the binding posts 42 by a pair of nuts 46 and 41.

In operating the switch shown in Fig. l, wherein it is shown closed, the nger piece 23 is moved over in a clockwise direction until the toggle spring I6 snaps the bifurcated arm upwardinvention.

nipulation of button is reversed and a converse action takes place with the exception that the coil spring 28 returns the arm 26 and bridge plate 29 into contact with the terminals 38 and 39 fol- 1 that of coil spring 28.

Many modied forms of'switch arm 26 may be. made without departing from the principle of the I claim:

1. In an electric switch, a frame, a terminal in; sulatedly mounted in said frame, a contact arm comprising a contact suited for electric make and break connection with said terminal, a lever provided with one supporting arm upon which said contact is mounted, with pressure meansV reacting upon said frame and applying a torqueto said lever which normally presses said contact into abutment with said terminal, and with another arm which extends from said one supporting arm substantially opposite to the direction in which said contact is pressed onto said terminal, a hammer arm spaced from said lever but adapted to be snapped onto said other arm thus swinging said lever counter toy said torque into an open switch position in which said contact is removed from said terminal, and Va manually controlled mechanism releasably engaging said lever in said open switch position.

' substantially opposite to the direction in which 2. In an electric switch, a frame, a pair of terminals spacedly and insulatedly mounted in said frame, a contact arm comprising a contact adapted to interconnect said terminals electrically, a lever provided with one supporting arm is pressed onto said terminals, a hammer arm spaced from said lever but adapted to be snapped onto said other arm thus swinging said lever counter to said torque into an open switch position in which said contact is removed from saidterminals, and a manually controlled mechanism releasably engaging said lever in said own switch position.

3. In an electric switch, a frame, a terminal insulatedly mounted in said frame and having a contact surface, a contact arm fulcrumed in parallelism with said surface upon said frame and comprising a contact suited for electric make and break connection with said terminaLa lever pravided with one supporting arm upon which said contact is mounted, with pressure means reacting upon said frame and applying a torque to said lever which normally presses said contact into.

abutment with `said terminal, and with another arm which extends f rom said one supporting arm said contact is pressed onto said terminal, a hammer arm fulcrumed in parallelism with said surface upon said frame and spaced from said lever but adapted to be snapped onto said other arm thus swinging said lever counter to said torque into an open switch position in which said contact is removed from said terminal, and a manually controlled mechanism releasably engaging said lever in said open switch position.

GERHARDT BLAIR.

REFERENCES v CITED UNITED sTATrs PATENTS Number Name Date 606,939 Piiuger July 5, 1898 1,602,920 Menzies Oct. l2, 1926 1,480,394 Johnson Jan. 8, 1924 1,593,029 Pagliarul July 20, 1926 1,148,240 Lindqust 'et al. Jujly 27, 1915 

